Northern Territory Consolidated Acts Northern Territory Consolidated Acts(1) This section applies if the Board is considering the release on parole of a prisoner who is serving a term of imprisonment for life for the crime of murder.
(2) The Board may invite persons to make submissions on the matter to the Board, including the following persons:
(a) members of the victim's family;
(b) if the prisoner is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander who identifies with a particular community of Aboriginals or Torres Strait Islanders – representatives of that community.
(3) In considering the matter, the Board must have regard to the principle that the public interest is of primary importance and, in doing so, must give substantial weight to the following matters:
(a) the protection of the community as the paramount consideration;
(b) the likely effect of the prisoner's release on the victim's family;
(c) if the prisoner is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander who identifies with a particular community of Aboriginals or Torres Strait Islanders – the likely effect of the prisoner's release on that community.
(4) The Board must give reasons for any decision or direction of the Board on the matter and those reasons must be included in the record of its proceedings kept under section 3F(7).